While on the Phone, Governor and Students Participate in Holocaust and Genocide Studies Activity - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy congratulated social studies teacher Christopher Butchko in a phone call on Thursday, October 22, 2020. Governor Murphy called Butchko in the morning, while classes were in session both virtually and in-person at Montville Township High School, in Montville Township, NJ. “Congratulations on Morris County Teacher of the Year,” Murphy told Butchko. Students in the classroom had the opportunity to listen to the Governor’s call and participate with him in a "virtual" activity.

MTHS 1 of Only 2 NJ Schools Named to National Top 100 List - “Our Top 100 schools show an incredible commitment to growing speech and debate,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “These programs demonstrate outstanding commitment to the values of integrity, humility, respect, leadership, and service that are central to our Code of Honor.” 

Dr Rovtar, OneMontville Founder, Reflects on the Essence of Empathy and the Organization’s Origins in Acceptance, Respect and Kindness -  The goal of the OneMontvill Unites podcast is to help people understand issues that they have not had a chance to understand. It is designed to embrace Empathy and to support Acceptance, Respect and Kindness.The community can listen to all “OneMontville Unites” podcast episodes at: https://anchor.fm/onemontvilleunites.

The next phase of the district re-opening plan will be the expansion of in-person enrollment at the start of the next marking period or trimester - The start of the second marking period for the middle and high school students will be Monday, November 16^th.  This would mean that the deadline to notify principals to request a change would be Thursday, October 29, 2020.  The elementary schools operate on a trimester basis with the second trimester starting on December 10^th.  Notification to the elementary principals must take place by November 25, 2020.  Notification must be in writing to the building principal.

This is a reminder that the daily health screening for students MUST BE SUBMITTED through GENESIS PARENT ACCESS. -  Screenings reported through the rSchoolToday app are no longer being accepted. Please remember to submit the daily screening before your child leaves for school each day. Thank you.

Montville Educational Foundation and Blue Foundry Bank Attend the Unveiling of the Unique Educational Initiative - Character matters and at Cedar Hill Elementary School when students demonstrate exceptional character they will receive a golden coin that can be used in the school's new Book Box Vending Machine. Cedar Hill added the book vending machine to their award-winning character education program to help promote reading and reward character.

Certificate Presented to the Montville Township High School Holocaust and Genocide Studies Teacher During Class, as Students Cheered In-Person and Virtually - “Commendations and praise are extended to Christopher Butchko, by the citizenry of the 26^th New Jersey Legislative District, through their elected representative, upon the occasion of being awarded Morris County Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Department of Education on August 26, 2020,” the certificate sent by Assemblywoman Betty Lou DeCroce stated.

District Represents 7 Out of 147 New Jersey Public Schools to Achieve Certification  -  Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced on September 15, 2020, that all 7 Montville Township Public Schools achieved the Bronze Certification for 2020. All 7 MTPS schools previously qualified for Bronze level, and have maintained that designation into the new academic year. In 2020, of the 147 schools that achieved certification, 80 schools did so for the first time and 67 schools, like the 7 MTPS schools, were recertified.

Every day that a student or staff member attends classes or is in the district in-person, the student or staff member must submit a Daily Health Screening. -  Please stay home if you are having symptoms that are not associated with other chronic conditions that you typically experience such as allergies, migraines, etc. Please remember that all absences should still be reported through the usual process.

Guidelines regarding attending MTHS sporting events for the 2020 season.- NOTE: In accordance with Governor Murphy's Executive Order and NJSIAA regulations, all schools must adhere to a maximum of 500 spectators per athletic venue. MTHS football games attendance is limited to 500 including all visiting teams, band members, cheerleaders, players and coaches. Tickets will not be sold to home games. All tickets are allocated to participants. Each participant receives two tickets. Away and home spectators must wear facial protection and sit socially distanced in assigned areas. The district is deeply grateful for the patience and understanding of all fans and members of the Montville Township Mustang Community. Thank you.

Faculty, administration and staff were honored in a virtual announcement  - The 40 educators were recognized for 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service. Leonard Saunders, Valley View PE Teacher, had 35 years in the district, followed by Shari Arzi of Hilldale and Kevin Haugh of Cedar Hill, each with 30 years. Watch the ceremony on YouTube.

4 of Only 16,000 Nationwide - These MTHS seniors: Theo Mohideen, Safi Patel, Victoria Wei and Andrew Xu, were among the 16,000 names of nationwide semifinalists announced on Wednesday, Sept 9, 2020, by officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Over 1.5 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

With Enthusiastic Encouragement, Shea Speaks as One with Faculty and Staff -  “We face a challenge like none other,” Shea begins. He speaks as though he is one with the faculty. “An enemy we don’t understand. And we have no tools. And we have no resources. And we have no weapons. But we are not alone. We stand shoulder to shoulder…. And we will charge the hill together, and, if one of us falls, we will pick them up and we will advance the cause, because we are the Montville Schools’ faculty and staff, led by Rene Rovtar.” 

New Teachers Attended Both In-Person and Virtual Training Sessions August 25 & 26 - New faculty attended a socially distanced, in-person, orientation on August 25. A mixture of in-person and virtual comprised the two-day "2020 New Teacher Orientation" training.The faculty are assigned throughout the district’s seven schools and will address a variety of curriculum areas. There will be three new elementary teachers, four special education teachers, three music teachers, one art teacher, one new social worker, one school nurse, one new MTHS English teacher, one district English Language Learner (or ESL) teacher, one World Language teacher, one Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and three long-term substitutes.

Award-Winning District Pays $100/Day to Qualified Subs - Applicants must possess a Morris County Substitute Certificate issued by the New Jersey Department of Education. Candidates must also have completed 60 semester hour credits at a regionally accredited college or university and pass the New Jersey Criminal History Background clearance.

Hilldale and Valley View are Among Only 84 in the USA to be Selected by Character.org - Hilldale Elementary School and Valley View Elementary School were named 2020 National Schools of Character on May 15, 2020. Character.org will honor these schools at the 2021 National Forum to be held in March 2021 in Washington, DC. Character.org, is a national advocate and leader for character development in schools and communities. Hilldale and Valley View were 2 of only 84 schools and 7 districts in 15 states that were certified as National Schools of Character. Hilldale and Valley View are also two of seven schools in the Montville Township Public Schools district. The two Elementary schools join Cedar Hill Elementary, William Mason Elementary, Woodmont Elementary and Robert R. Lazar Middle School as National Schools of Character. Montville Township Public Schools district was also named a District of Character in 2018.

Shields Made and Delivered By Volunteers Inspired by NJIT for The Commonwealth Project - 

Montville Township Public Schools’ Department of Special Services received a donation of 600 reusable face shields on Thursday, August 13, 2020. The generous gift was coordinated through The Commonhealth Project. The face shields will be used for specific types of educational situations and for specific staff and therapists.  For example it is difficult to provide speech therapy if the therapist and student cannot see each other’s faces.In speech therapy the therapist needs to be able to see the student’s mouth and the student needs to see the therapist’s mouth.

Links to DISTRICT REOPENING PLAN FAQs & RETURN TO SCHOOL SURVEY are available in this article. Additionally, Superintendent Dr. Rene Rovtar explains the Montville Board of Education approval of the DISTRICT REOPENING PLAN and the Full-Time Virtual and In-Person options. BOTH Full-Time Virtual and In-Person options are offered for the 2020-2021 academic year. Parents must select their preferred option in the Genesis Parent Portal by Wednesday, August 12 at midnight. 

Plan will be discussed at Wednesday, August 5, BOE Meeting -  Click here to review the plan. This will be reviewed at the virtual Montville Board of Education meeting on 8/5/2020. The public portion begins at 7:30 p.m. BOE Meetings can be viewed live at www.montville.net/boemeetinglive. Dr. Rovtar will provide an overview of the plan and there will be an opportunity for members of the public to make comments or ask questions about the plan. Following the discussion, the Board of Education is expected to adopt a plan in order to be compliant with the guidance that a plan must be in place and provided to parents at least thirty days prior to the first day of school. The 2020-2021 academic year begins September 8, 2020. 

The Daily Screening Submission must be completed by a parent or guardian before your child(ren) leaves home. If a student arrives in school without it completed, a parent will be called and asked to complete it. If it remains incomplete, the child will be sent home. Repeated offenses will result in a mandatory meeting with the principal and/or the student being assigned to remote learning.

Additional staffing, specifically substitute teachers, are needed immediately - To apply for substitute teaching positions please go to: https://www.applitrack.com/montvillenj/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?category=Substitute+Teachers+and+Nurses